Berea College Ranked among Nation’s Top Colleges

Posted: October 30, 2018

Author: Tim Jordan

The 2018-19 academic year is off to a great start at Berea College. Just two months into the semester, the school is making the grade with several national accolades highlighting diversity, affordability, the high-quality liberal arts education students receive, and sustainability.

In September, INSIGHT into Diversity magazine announced that Berea was one of 96 institutions to receive its Higher Education Excellence in Diversity or HEED Award. The award is the only national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion across their campus.

For the third consecutive year, Washington Monthly named Berea the No. 1 liberal arts college in the nation, and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance tapped the College for the top spot on its list of colleges with the lowest average student debt at graduation. The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education named Berea a “best value institution,” and the Princeton Review recognized the College in two areas. The publication placed Berea among the top seven percent of the nation’s four-year colleges in Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck, and named Berea to its list of the Top Green Colleges for the school’s efforts in sustainability.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by such prominent publications across a wide range of attributes,” said Berea College President Lyle Roelofs. “The touchstone of a Berea education is its affordability, so I am especially pleased to see honors for our efforts at creating a diverse campus and an environmentally conscience place for our students to live and learn.”

Berea College, the first interracial and coeducational college in the South, focuses on learning, labor and service. The College admits only academically promising students with limited financial resources, primarily from Kentucky and Appalachia, although students come from 40 states and 70 countries. Every Berea student receives a Tuition Promise Scholarship, which means no Berea student pays for tuition. Berea is one of nine federally-recognized Work Colleges, so students work 10 hours or more weekly, earning money for books, housing and meals. The College’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” speaks to its inclusive Christian character.

No-Tuition Promise

Berea is the only one of America’s top colleges that makes a no-tuition promise to every enrolled student.

No student pays for tuition.

Our generous TUITION PROMISE SCHOLARSHIP makes it possible for you to graduate debt-free. Even if you borrow for special learning opportunities or to replace your family’s total contribution, you will have a low debt compared to national trends. We sometimes call Berea “the best education money can’t buy.”